PICTURE: IAI unveils 12kg Mini Panther UAV

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled a scaled-down version of its Panther tiltrotor unmanned air vehicle on 23 November, revealing the design to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Panther uses an innovative automatic flight control system to manage the transition between its hovering take-off phase to forward flight and back before landing. The take-off and landing sequences are performed automatically following a command on the operator console, removing the need for an external pilot.

The Mini Panther was unveiled during a site visit by Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu

A larger version of the design with a take-off weight of 65kg (143lb) has already undergone flight trials, and IAI says the new Mini Panther weighs just 12kg. Both systems are powered by three ultra-quiet electric motors.

IAI says the Mini Panther will have an endurance of 2h - one-third that of the larger version. The company says the new system is designed for use by special forces personnel, and is in the advanced stage of its development process.